Schoolyard Sugaring Maple Syrup & Photography Contest
About the Contest
Students and educators are challenged to transform maple sap to syrup and document their experience through photography. Schools will submit a sample of classroom made maple syrup, the curricular connections, and photographs for a chance to place top in their grade-level division.
The Schoolyard Sugaring Maple Contest builds an appreciation and knowledge of the history, art, science, and careers involved in the production, marketing, and distribution of pure New York maple syrup.
Eligibility
- Pre-K through 12th grade students in New York
- Public schools, homeschools, private schools
- FFA, school clubs, and other agricultural related student groups
The Divisions
- Elementary School (UPK – 5)
- Middle School (6 – 8)
- High School (9 – 12)
The Prizes
New York Agriculture in the Classroom will provide the following prizes in each division for maple syrup, and one photography prize per division.
Maple Syrup
- 1st Place - $250
- 2nd Place - $100
- 3rd Place - $50
Photography
- 1st Place (per division)- $50
Contest Information
Review the Contest Guidelines, Schoolyard Sugaring Production Checklist, and the judging rubric to learn more about the contest, utilize helpful guide for producing maple syrup, and identify the criteria for scoring the syrup.
Maple Starter Kits will again be available! The first 30 classrooms to request this resource will receive a starter kit valued at $120. Teachers who received a kit previously will not be eligible for a full kit, but can request 10 new sap collection bags.
Maple Starter Kit
- 10 Blue Sap Bags
- 10 Galvanized Sap Bag Holders
- 10 5/16" Hookless Aluminum Spouts
- 1 5/16" Titanium Tapping Bit
- 1 Syrup Hydrometer
- 1 Stainless Steel Hydrometer Test Cup
- Orlon Bag Cone Filter (reusable)
Registration
All classrooms must register to participate in the Schoolyard Sugaring Contest and the registration will remain open throughout the contest. To receive an empty maple syrup sample jug, a starter kit, and/or sap bag refills, classrooms must be registered by February 9, 2024.
Schoolyard Sugaring Maple Syrup and Photography Submissions
One sample of classroom-produced maple syrup and photography contest submissions are due by April 19, 2024.
Schoolyard Sugaring Photography Contest
Individual students and educators are welcome to submit their photographs of their engagement in the Schoolyard Sugaring experience. Each student or educator is eligible to submit up to five images.
Resource Center
In the Sugarbush
The production of maple syrup starts in the forest with the trees. Maple farmers first start taping a maple tree when it is around 10 inches in diameter or 31 inches in circumference. It can take a maple tree 40 years to grow from seed to be big enough to tap. Once a tree is tapped, maple syrup producers need to collect approximately 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. On average, each tap provides roughly 10 gallons of sap throughout a maple season which, when processed, yields roughly a quart of pure maple syrup.
The following resources are helpful guides covering the concepts, processes, research, and best practices found within the maple sector and helpful for beginners and intermediate maple hobbyists with the processes that happen in a maple woods or sugarbush.
How to identify and manage the health and productivity of a maple woods.
How to identify maple trees for maple syrup production.
Indoor tapping of a maple tree.
Overview of different types of taps and maple sap collection vessels.
How to tap and install sap bag systems.
How to tap and install bucket sap systems.
Best practices in tapping over multiple seasons.
Resources covering many concepts. Processes, research, and best practices found within the maple sector.
Find resources covering many concepts, processes, research, and best practices found within the maple sector.
This document is a step-by-step guide to concepts, processes, research, and best practices for those who are new to the production of maple syrup and those who want to grow their existing maple syrup programs.
Find resources covering many concepts, processes, research, and best practices found within the maple sector.
In the Sugarhouse
Once sap is collected from a maple forest, the sap needs to be processed into maple syrup. Historically, indigenous people processed the maple sap collected from maple trees by "cooking" the sap in hollowed out logs using hot rocks. With the influx of Europeans to the areas where maple sap is harvested, iron kettles were introduced. These kettles allowed for faster and further refinement of maple sap. Today, in many modern sugarhouses, boiling equipment called evaporators (large pans) are utilized to boil water out of maple sap. With ongoing innovation and techniques, the process of making maple syrup has become more efficient while requiring less labor and fuel.
The following resources are helpful guides covering the concepts, processes, research, and best practices found within the maple sector and processing of maple sap to maple syrup.
Complete process of turning maple sap to syrup.
How to gravity filter maple syrup after it has been processed.
How to use a refractometer to measure the solids density in a maple sap solution.
How to use a maple hydrometer to measure the solids density in a maple sap solution.
How to bottle maple syrup in a plastic container.
How to bottle maple syrup in a glass container.
Understand the chemistry and science of maple syrup.
Resources covering many concepts. Processes, research, and best practices found within the maple sector.
Find resources covering many concepts, processes, research, and best practices found within the maple sector.
This document is a step-by-step guide to concepts, processes, research, and best practices for those who are new to the production of maple syrup and those who want to grow their existing maple syrup programs.
Find resources covering many concepts, processes, research, and best practices found within the maple sector.
Classroom Connections
Elementary
This lesson will aide students in understanding the steps and process of turning maple sap into maple syrup, and using their senses to analyze syrup's qualities.
Through this simple to implement activity, students will learn the difference between maple sap and maple syrup.
Show these short, grade-appropriate videos, illustrating the many aspects of maple production. Seven videos for grades Kindergarten through 6 are available.
Interactive presentations and activities about maple are available. Topics include maple geography, tree identification, animals in sugarbush, and more.
Use theses great and easy to use worksheets to help reinforce maple concepts such as weather, ecosystems, the process of syrup production, and more. Available for grades Kindergarten through 6.
New Hampshire Agriculture in the Classroom - Tapping into Maple Tradition digs deeper into maple sugar production to uncover a wide variety of core academic concepts.
Middle School
Students will learn about what sugar crystals look like on a larger scale and how removing water allows for crystallization by making rock candy.
New Hampshire Agriculture in the Classroom - Tapping into Maple Tradition digs deeper into maple sugar production to uncover a wide variety of core academic concepts.
Students will make and test out their own hydrometer, and use the hydrometer to test the sugar concentration of different grades of maple syrup.
Cornell University's Dr. Mike Farrell has a collection of 12 short and exceptional videos explaining the many facets of sap collection, reverse osmosis, evaporation, filtering, grading syrup, and more. Highly recommended resource to show your students these engaging and interesting videos.
High School
Students will simulate the relationship between producers and consumers while learning about the maple syrup industry in the United States and its competitors.
New Hampshire Agriculture in the Classroom - Tapping into Maple Tradition digs deeper into maple sugar production to uncover a wide variety of core academic concepts.
Students will make and test out their own hydrometer, and use the hydrometer to test the sugar concentration of different grades of maple syrup.
Cornell University's Dr. Mike Farrell has a collection of 12 short and exceptional videos explaining the many facets of sap collection, reverse osmosis, evaporation, filtering, grading syrup, and more. Highly recommended resource to show your students these engaging and interesting videos.
Questions
Please direct any questions you have about this contest to Jeremiah Best, jjb386@cornell.edu.
Explore the Past Winning Schools and Photographs
Check out the sweet submissions from the past winners of the Schoolyard Sugaring Maple Contest!
